


Coalescence

by rednight16



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Seaborne: A Voltron Mer Zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21515617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rednight16/pseuds/rednight16
Summary: Off the rocky coast of Hokkaido, Japan, a small fishing boat bobs in the waves as its owner sets out a net to begin his daily hunt. He is not the only one, as a lithe form slips between the rocks, a flash of glimmering purple the only sign of the mer’s presence.
Relationships: Shiro & Black Lion (Voltron)
Kudos: 1





	Coalescence

Off the rocky coast of Hokkaido, Japan, a small fishing boat bobs in the waves as its owner sets out a net to begin his daily hunt. He is not the only one, as a lithe form slips between the rocks, a flash of glimmering purple the only sign of the mer’s presence. Shiro finds a decent size crack in the formation that allows him to peer through, watching the net. It waves in the water, the current rippling the mesh along with the tide. The sun’s rays filter into the water, creating pockets of morning light to catch the scales of unsuspecting fish. The school Shiro’s tracking is bigger than he’s seen in some time, swimming here in an attempt to escape other humans, he guesses. But he isn’t about to pass up a bigger meal. So he sits, and he waits. Though thankfully not alone.

A glance to his right shows him that his seal companion is still next to him, watching him with large dark eyes. He smiles, flicking the edge of a black fin against her tail to make her squeak before turning back to his watch. Too much noise would only scare their prey away. The expanse of blue water stares back at him, only broken by the mass of net in front of him. The waiting is the hardest part, but Shiro is patient. His focus will lead to a nice full stomach tonight.

Time passes, and his seal friend heads up for air as he continues to wait alongside the empty net. Shiro is always curious when the humans set up their traps and floating metal near his home, though he doesn’t dare get too close. There are too many stories among his kind about what happens if you are caught by the land dwellers, and Shiro’s already lived through one experience too many. There is a ghost of sensation from the stump of his right arm at the thought, and he shakes himself for a moment before returning to his watch. From there, it isn’t long before he spots his prize. He can just begin to see the glimmer of scales in the waters beyond the net, slowly approaching from deeper sea. Turning his head towards the sky, he blows a stream of bubbles which float up to pop at the water’s surface. Not a moment later a black shadow dives into the water, the seal swimming easily back to his side as he begins to creep from his hiding place.

He does not emerge fully just yet, hiding just at the edge of the formation as the lithe bodies of his prey make their way closer. The ones he can see at the front of the school are larger than his normal fare, and he licks his lips at the thought of sinking his teeth into the soft meat he knows is just underneath the scales. Sliding out from behind the rocks, Shiro begins swimming below the net in slow, easy strokes which barely disturb the water. If he times this correctly, he will be gone before the humans could possibly know that he’s there.

As he makes his way down the fish grow closer, reaching the wall of trap that is lying in wait. Shiro watches as the net begins to encircle part of the school, and it is only when the trap is over halfway closed that he strikes. Surging upward, he catches the already distressed school unawares and digs his claws into the first fish within his reach. Off to his right the seal snaps her jaws shut around a catch of her own, graceful as she cuts through the water quickly. Without prompting she drives the fish away from Shiro’s right side, allowing him to cut through the scales of two more in a practiced fashion. This tactic has never failed them, and it proves itself yet again as Shiro dives away from the net with three fish hugged to his chest. They wriggle furiously in his grasp, and one manages to slip away and swims off to his right. Shiro turns, but he knows that he won't be able to catch it again without letting go of the two still struggling in his grasp. But before he can give up entirely, a shape dart past him. His seal friend snaps her jaws around the fish easily, teeth sinking in deep as red tendrils begin to seep into the water. Shiro's shoulders slump in relief as she circles back to him, depositing the now limp fish in front of him before swimming off to continue her hunt. Shiro reaches out and closes his own teeth around the fish, turning to dive down to a small alcove within the rocks to begin his meal.

Setting the two barely moving fish in his arms in a divot in the rocks to free his arm, Shiro finally bites down deep and tears through the scales of the fish currently in his mouth easily. Being able to eat multiple fish in one sitting means less hunting later, and he will always accept that. As he finishes the first fish and moves to the second, a shadow passes over his head before his seal dives down to swim near his head. She comes back only when she's had her fill, so Shiro knows she caught a few fish of her own. He lets out a small chirp, grinning when she responds with her own before bumping her nose against his cheek. Shiro doesn't know where he'd be without her in his life.

Two Years Earlier:

A hand digs into the rock formation in front of him as Shiro struggles to balance himself against the current. He kicks his tail hard, forcing his body to straighten out enough that he can slide behind the rocks and into calmer waters. Resting his back against the wall, he glances over at what remains of his right arm in dismay and frustration. Ever since he lost it, his life has gotten far more difficult. Swimming is exhausting, taking far more effort for him to stay balanced than it ever used to. Because he can’t swim properly, he also can’t hunt as well, leaving him nothing to eat but whatever he can scavenge from the seafloor. When the current picks up, the pull on his right side is so strong that he’s forced to find shelter as he just did in order to rest before continuing.

Shiro lets out a sigh, bubbles floating up towards the surface as he breathes out. His home isn’t too far from where he is now, so one last push should do it in order to get back. He closes his eyes, tail waving softly in the water as he tries to relax for as long as he can. But a faint noise catches his ear, causing him to open one eye and peer around. There is nothing in sight from where he is hidden, but if there’s something nearby...

Carefully, he moves towards the edge of the rocks and pokes his head out just enough to see beyond them. His eyes scan the water quickly for any sign of predators, shoulders losing some of their tension when he is met with an empty expanse of water instead. Just as he moves to slip back behind the rock, he hears it again, causing Shiro’s brow to furrow as he carefully pushes away instead. So he’s not as alone as he believed, but where was it coming from?

Sticking close to the rocks for safety, Shiro pulls himself along as he looks around. The cry sounds again, louder this time, and he veers sharply to the right when he finds a break in the wall. Pulling himself further into the alcove he’s stumbled upon, Shiro stills when he sees what’s ahead of him. A seal, laying on the rocky bottom of the alcove, struggling as blood seeps into the water around her from deep wounds on her back and around her fins. Shiro has seen those injuries before, and he grits his teeth as he swims closer. Wounds from land dweller nets spell doom for many animals. But this one... this one he may be able to save. But he needs to be quick, as he can tell she’s close to running out of breath. He approaches cautiously, and when she makes no move to attack him he chirps softly. The noise gets her attention, and she lets out another cry in response. Shiro’s heart aches at how desperate she sounds, and without any thought to how he was going to get her anywhere, he scoops her up in his arm.

It is only when he gets outside the alcove that Shiro realizes his problem. He can barely swim as it is, but with extra weight and his one arm occupied? It will take far longer for him to reach his home. Glancing down at his new burden, he coos softly to soothe her distress before gathering himself. He has to try and help her, if only because he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t. But before they can go home, he needs to get her to the surface. She’ll need air like any other of her kind. Tightening his grip just enough that he wouldn’t lose her, Shiro kicks hard, propelling himself up towards the surface that he can see glimmering above him. 

That first kick only gets him so far, and Shiro finds himself straining to push further as his strength wanes. He grits his teeth as his muscles tense, core aching and tail lashing out hard enough to push him just a little bit more—

Shiro breaks the surface of the water with a gasp, panting harshly as he lifts the seal’s head enough to allow her to breathe. Her breaths come in harsh pants like his own, and the two bob along the surface of the water until Shiro begins to feel the ache in his stomach subside. Exhaustion pulls at his eyes and limbs as he floats, and he knows he doesn't have much time before his body gives in for the day. A soft noise draws him out of his thoughts as he glances down, the seal watching him with something like curiosity in her eyes. Shiro smiles lightly, chirring softly as he touches his nose to hers. She recoils only for a moment before leaning closer, sniffing carefully as she settles in his arm. Her breathing settles enough for Shiro to feel comfortable bringing her back under, which couldn't have come a moment too soon as his arm is starting to hurt having to hold her up above the surface line.

Shiro waits until she takes a breath before sinking back below the waves, letting her hang loosely in his grip as he begins to swim again. Luck appears to be on his side this time as the current steers him in the direction of home, giving some relief to his still slightly aching muscles as he moves slowly through the water. He's going to have to stay close to home for a little while to give himself a break after today; never mind his new companion, who still needs looking after. 

His grotto is small but cozy, and Shiro finds himself fighting to keep his eyes open as he swims through the opening. He hauls the seal up, struggling as he pushes her onto the rocky surface on the far side of the grotto, next to the water line. He watches as she begins to settle, pain and exhaustion obviously taking their toll as she tries to relax. Clinging to a nearby rock, he glances around at his meager food stores and takes a deep breath. He was going to have to do a lot more hunting.

A week passes slowly, Shiro’s days full of treks outside of his small home to scavenge for any kind of food that both he and his new companion can eat. He’s seen others of her kind eating some of the shelled creatures that he himself eats, so much of his time is spent sifting through the sands along the rocks while looking over his shoulder for any predators. He pushes himself each day, practically crawling home with whatever he can find, filling a small pouch a land dweller had lost to the waters. But he finds himself smiling with each step of progress his seal makes, and the first day she slips back into the water on her own, his heart almost bursts with pride. 

But he realizes within that same week that while she was recovering, Shiro himself seems to be fading. His strength wanes with each day of swimming out to the rocks, and the more he pushes the harder it becomes for him to find the same energy the next morning. He comes back later each day, having to take breaks when swimming in order to make it home. It all comes to a head one day when Shiro wakes to impossibly heavy limbs, every instinct screaming at him to stay in his kelp bed and go right back to sleep. Lifting his head up just enough to peer around, his brow furrows when he is met with complete silence. Where...?

Pushing himself up enough to poke his head above water, Shiro’s eyes widen at the bare strip of rock that greets him, no seal in sight. His heart sinks, despite telling himself that he shouldn’t be upset. What reason would she have to stay once she heals? She’s most likely going back to look for her family and rejoin them. Shiro’s shoulders sink as he lets himself slip back underwater listlessly, curling into himself. He’d never truly felt lonely before living out here on his own, but now he couldn’t help but be painfully aware of how alone he truly was. Despite his roiling emotions, the pull of sleep is impossible to resist after a difficult week, and it's not long before Shiro finds his eyes slipping shut and his thoughts going blank as he drifts back off.

A prodding against his forehead forces Shiro back awake, a confused noise slipping out as he pries his eyes back open. A blurry, dark form hovers in his vision and he startles, trying to push himself away from the intruder before he’s attacked. But as his eyes clear they widen as he takes in the sight of his seal swimming closer, a fish clamped tightly in her jaws. Once she knows she has his attention she lets the fish go, gently nudging it closer to Shiro. He gapes at her, disbelieving, before reaching out tentatively for the fish. When his fingers close over the tail, tugging it closer to himself, she makes a pleased noise and swims close enough to bump her nose against his forehead once again. A smile begins to spread across Shiro’s face as he clutches the fish close to his chest, heart full to bursting. Loneliness did not appear to be a problem for him anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my piece for Seaborne, I am very late in posting it here due to some life stuff but here we are! I'd love to write more interactions between Shiro and Black if I can find the inspiration and the energy for it, I love their relationship so so so so much. Let me know if you'd all be interested in that? I hope you all enjoyed~


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